Museum grooms dogs for benefit

April 12, 2008|By Candice Russell Special Correspondent

The biggest fundraiser of the year for the Coral Springs Museum of Art used to be called "The Great Plate Affair," with artists making functional and decorative plates out of diverse materials - from paper collage and twigs to the conventional ceramic. The fundraiser has been re-named "Blue Dog Night," in conjunction with the museum's current show by Louisiana artist George Rodrigue, celebrated for his paintings of an iconic blue cartoon dog.

The event takes place at 6 tonight; tickets are $75 at the door. Five percent of all tickets sold benefits Canine Companions, and guests can sample wine and food from local restaurants, including The Fresh Market, Blue Moon Fish Company and Flavors of Italy, among others. Art auctions and entertainment round out the offerings.

Sure to be hotly contested are the various creations of 10 local artists up for silent auction bid. On display at the museum during the last month, these works were inspired by a 3-foot-tall plain resin mold of a seated dog, a terrier with its floppy ears held alert. How the artists chose to paint and otherwise embellish their dogs was where their originality came into play.

Beth Ravitz, known for her many local public art commissions, added a spiky spine to hers, titled Dogasaurus, giving it a very edgy street feel. Janet Gold's pooch, Literary Beast, sports white collage pieces with black letters.

Sondra Vladem of Parkland, an art teacher at the Cambridge School, contributes Frida Dog using acrylic paint, fabric collage and mixed media. Referring to the mournful self-portraits of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Vladem captures elements of Kahlo's paintings with mono-brow, teardrops, lowered headdress and an image of artist husband Diego Rivera. Inspired by Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, Pup Art by Deborah Gregg boasts a white ruff of hair just like Warhol, on a base of dog food cans.

For more information, call the museum at 954-340-5000 or visit csmart.org.

Art Alliance milestone

The first anniversary of Leche-Vitrines Art Alliance in Fort Lauderdale will be celebrated from 7-10 p.m. April 19. It coincides with the opening of a new exhibition featuring the paintings of Brazilian artist Fernando DeOliveira through May 10.

Coming soon are an online shopping site and shows by new artists. In June, the gallery plans to partner with the Broward Art Guild to present an outdoor street painting festival in Fort Lauderdale's Times Square Plaza. For more information, visit lechevitrinesart.com.